


A Placebo

by soubriquet



Series: What I Gave [6]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Dreams, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-24
Updated: 2012-03-24
Packaged: 2017-11-02 11:13:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/368354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soubriquet/pseuds/soubriquet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>placebo |pləˈsēbō|<br/>noun ( pl. -bos) a harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Placebo

There's a moment when I realise how blind I am, and wonder, for how long has it been?

Here in the dark with his photo on my lap, his book he leant me one day and never took back, a multitude of gifts and goodness, all wrapped up and deposited in my hands like it belonged there.

And I'd just taken it and wished him well and wondered if he could know me.

Running a hand through my hair and scuffing the toe of my shoe against a mark. Count the number of pages overturned so much they'd roughened out; more than I'd want them to, far more of me in it now than there ever was of him - like he ever read, but he'd promised me he'd at least read this once through in order to 'y'know, determine it's proper literature, make sure it's not something you'd find in a hotel.' The memory makes me smile before I can control it.

Champ - the guy in charge of us, the lieutenant - looks up at me, from where he stands in the middle of my office. David's bed lies in the corner, half the room hospital and the other half broken police-cop. He won't have anything to say that I haven't heard before. Wants to get me a new partner, someone I can't run myself off. Fat chance.

"I've thought about it," I say.

"Mhm?"

Doesn't want to get his hands dirty. Figures. The guy had changed since I found David, since they took him in the ambulance. Like one of his lungs collapsed or he had a prolapse of air or something. 

"I'm gonna keep it on."

He looks surprised, then back how he was: like he could never be surprised. "Right."

"The support," I clarify, as if that were necessary, for me to remind him just whose life we were dealing with here.

Champ raises a hand to his neck, presses at an old wound just below the shoulder. "Aagh... Con. It's been ten months."

"Not long enough," I say. "Give him time."


End file.
